I am dumbfounded.
The buzz about Gary Clark Jr. before, during and after the release of his "Bright Lights" E.P. has been deafening. Friends, critics, even Eric Clapton have heaped praise on this gentleman. I wasn't sold on that E.P. and his new full length, "Blak & Blu" ain't helping.
This record is a mess. It is misguided--maybe producer Rob Cavallo's fault-- and filled with as much crap as there is good. And even the good isn't all that.
Twenty seconds or so into the opening track, "Ain't Messin 'Round," I got up off the couch to make sure I was sent the right CD. Expecting to hear a Texas blues man that has been compared to both Jimi and Stevie Ray, what I heard was something that would not have been out of place as the opening dance number to an 80s variety show. This was Gary Clark Jr. alright. What the hell?
It got better fast with the second cut, "When My Train Pulls In," a slow, dirty groove more like "Red House" than the Captain & Tennille. I love this tune and especially Clark's guitar-playing, even if by the 6th minute, the jam gets a bit lost as each band member seems to be playing its own song. Still, a vast improvement from the opener. Maybe it will be okay.
WRONG!
Track 3, the title cut, is a slick R&B tune, with a co-write credit given to Clark, Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson, and the type of stuff John Legend is made of. Clark can't pull it off vocally, and it's just not very good.
By the fifth cut, "Travis County," my head was spinning. Now I'm listening to Dave Edmunds? What the hell?
By the sixth cut, "The Life," easily the worst of what I've heard so far, replete with autotune and hip-hop beats, I've decided that even if the second half of "Blak & Blu" turned in some fabulous music, the first 30 minutes will have already made it no better than an average release.
Fear not, it does not get much better.
"Glitter & Gold" is exactly what poor Lenny Kravitz has been doing for years and getting trashed for.
"Numb" is more like what I'd been expecting, Hendrix-inspired, but a little too late.
On "Please Come Home," Clark employs a falsetto for a 50's, doo-wop pastiche that falls about as flat as his attempt at a Maroon 5 hit on track 6.
I'm done, and there are still 4 more songs, 6 if you count the iTunes bonus tracks. No need to go on, as I don't think I am ever coming back.
At best, this major label debut is a genre-hopping, safely-played collection of tunes, guaranteed to appeal to someone. At worst, it's a Lenny Kravitz record with a better guitar player.
21 comments:
I saw him perform a free show at Bearsville Theater last year. It was a total snoozefest. Nothing at all interesting about his music.
I couldn't figure out what this record was supposed to be, there are flashes of greatness, but overall it sucked
So disappointing. I actually liked the first track - the falsetto was cool I thought and I liked the sixties chord patterns and horns. What a let down.
I want to disagree, mainly on the strength of his earlier song "Breakdown," which has been my theme song this past year - love this song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9foUD9c34g
BUT... I saw him live in ATL a few months ago, and (sorry if anybody's a frat guy here) but when I saw the number of college-football-caps in the crowd, and perceived the frat love for this guy, I knew it wasn't going to work.
Sure enough, it didn't work. Snoozefest. Nothing great on guitar, and lots of cliched moves to go with it, including every version of "I'm a blues guy so I am in pain, can you see?" in the cliche book...
It's a shame too, because he has some good stuff. It's like with Clapton - I actually (sacreligiously) prefer his cod-reggae tunes (Knockin On Heaven's Door, Swing Low Sweet Chariot) and pop tunes (Change The World) to anything bluesy he does.
Same with Gary Clark. I love his power pop song "Breakdown" like I said, but just don't care for the blues cliches, sir. Dang! It's too bad, because I WANT a new artist to get really excited about...
Instead, that artist is White Denim - best band on the planet right now...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqP0Nv_4MUs
Wow! As I posted previously, I liked the single I heard on FUV. And I remember RS giving a 4 star review to his debut cd but I never got around to that.
So I was really looking forward to this release. Now maybe not so much.
Sal - I give you a lot of credit for taking the time to review the new albums, and making that the theme of your blog. It comes in handy for me at times as well. But stop by one of these months at Twilightzone and listen to a collection like The R&B Years 1954 or 1955. Play the entire 100 song collection. Then let me know if you can even remember Gary Clark Jr.'s name or his music after that.
Sorry Gyro, Gary who?
;)
Can't agree more Sal. Kravitz came to mind for me too.
Sal - I see the new Neil Young on the web, I want to read your reaction to it.
Just because he can play 10 styles doesn't mean he should. Yeesh. I'll hold out a little hope that he finds his own thing, but I won't put money on it.
Good luck with Sandy!
Gary Clark Jr. Sucks!
I agree with Simkus.
I saw him a week ago in Portland. What a fucking waste of time and money!!! Boring as hell ... with zero crowd interaction. Will never buy tickets to see him again.
Of course he sucks,thats why Clapton invited him to play at the Crossroads Festival.You would'nt know good guitar playing if it punched you in your face..
Hey Jim Blackwood--
Didn't Clapton invite Sheryl Crow to Crossroads? I'm pretty sure she's not such a great guitar player either.
Jim Blackwood...great. So, you're wrong. And, you wouldn't know it even if it.....wait for it....punched you in the face. Where's GAry now...certainly not on the radio.
I'm so happy I found this. I thought I was losing my mind. I never got it! Thank god I found this thread.
Eh...I guess he doesn't suck...but I agree. Totally overrated. At of all the tunes to cover he does "Come Together". Like that hasn't been done a billion times.
I'm so glad I found this thread. None of this material kept my interest or managed to capture it in the first place. This is like observing a puppet audience watch "LEASE" in Team America: World Police; post-crescendo of, "AIDS AIDS AIDS AIDS AIDS AIDS AIDS AIDS AIDS... AIDS!" a slight pause then thunderous applause. I'd almost rather watch inane detergent commercials back-to-back. WTF? I wasn't sure what all the fuss was about, but then, I remembered that sometimes "normal" folks like bland, mediocre music, and it's more about whatever it represents for them. No offense, really, but this music just does zero for me, and I like all kinds of stuff. I wanted to like this--I really did; however, when Satan materialized to bestow upon me the ability to enjoy this material in exchange for my immortal, ever-loving soul, I declined. (Nope. Duh.) I wish Gary Jr. the best, as he progresses in life and in music. So bland and cliché, it made my ears retreat into my brain (so they were practically touching inside my skull) to get away. Ugh. If it's any consolation, he's better than Lenny Kravitz. (Sorry Lenny. I prefer your acting skills. You're very handsome, too.) N.C., Portland, Oregon
this drone is a 3 note phony and his lyrical content is adolescent at best
Gary Clark Jr. Jimmy Vaughn are 2 awful guitar players, if you watch Clark play he doesn't use the entire fretboard he's a good rhythm player but stinks on lead playing. Vaughn looks like he's fighting with the guitar! There are great new players out there Eric Steckel, Orianthi, Quinn Sullivan all can outplay Clark Jr and Jimmy Vaughn! Boy do I miss Gary Moore who was better than Clapton!!
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